This week is the start of Euro 2012 – a football tournament for those of you are not interested. There has been some controversy over the choice of Ukraine as one of the host nations, and some politicians and fans have chosen to stay away in protest. It is easy to think that such protests and boycotts do not have an impact. Or that it has to be someone important or powerful in order for anything to make a difference.

Recently, I have heard from two different people in the congregation who are each making their own personal protests in different ways. One is refusing to take Communion in their home church, in protest at that denomination’s treatment of lesbians and gay men. Another person refuses to visit the USA or any country that still uses the death penalty for prisoners. These protests gain strength every time the person tells their story and make others think about the issue too.

You may think that one person cannot make a difference. Rosa Parks was an African American woman at a time when racial segregation was still legal and well embedded in USA. After a long hard day at work in 1955, she refused to give up her seat to a white man on the bus and was arrested. This small act of protest became the focal point for a massive bus boycott and was a key event in the civil rights movement. Now, just under 60 years later, the USA has a black President.

You are on the mailing list of MCC Newcastle today, because in 1968, one man called Troy Perry dared to believe that it could be possible to have a Christian church that would proclaim God’s inclusive love for all people – including lesbians, gay men, bisexual folk andtransgendered women and men.

May you find one way of making your voice heard on an issue this week.